Donald Trump is close friends with Tom Brady, but on Wednesday the junior partner in the alliance was unwilling to back his friend over Trump’s boast that he was able to “grab women by the pussy” without waiting for their consent.

At his weekly press conference at Gillette Stadium, the New England Patriots quarterback didn’t offer his backing to Trump’s particular brand of “locker room talk” – and he didn’t express his censure, either. In fact, Brady appeared incapable of saying anything much at all.

Brady was asked: “Tom, you have kids of your own … how would respond if your kids heard Donald Trump’s version of locker room talk?”

Brady paused, half-smiled, and responded: “Thank you guys. Have a good day.” He then made a hurried departure from the stage.

Tom, why so coy! You and Donald go way back! Remember when you told WEEI-FM last December that “Donald is a good friend of mine” and that “I support all my friends”? And that you judged one of Trump’s beauty pageants, which you called “really cool”?

“Donald is a good friend of mine,” Brady said then. “I have known him for a long time. I support all my friends. That is what I have to say. He’s a good friend of mine. He’s always been so supportive of me – for the last 15 years, since I judged a beauty pageant for him, which was one of the very first things that I did that thought was really cool. That came along with winning the Super Bowl. He’s always invited me to play golf. I’ve always enjoyed his company.”

A few months prior, Brady, 39, explicitly said it “would be great” if Trump were to become president. Why? Mainly for the golf.

“I hope so – that would be great,” Brady said, when asked if he wished Trump to ascend to the top job. “There’d be a putting green on the White House lawn. I know that.”

Earlier that month, one of Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ hats was displayed prominently in Brady’s locker. Brady called the hat a “nice keepsake”.

Trump has also been keen to brag of his friendship with Brady. On Twitter, he called Brady’s sort-of endorsement “a great honor from somebody that knows how to win!” Brady later insisted that his words were “taken out of context” and that his comments didn’t amount to a formal endorsement.